Damage Control
by ghost02
Summary: B/A. Set in S6. TPTB interfere and bring Connor (still a baby) to Buffy, while Angel gets over his crush on Cordelia. Ch. 3 and epilogue (Ch. 4) posted Nov. 9. Complete.
1. The Beginning

I originally posted this story in April-May under a different pseudonym during a time when my regular account was inaccessible. I always meant to go back and revise it a bit plus move it to my main account (after it finally began working again) but I kept putting that off. Until now. Here's part one of three. 

TITLE: Damage Control 1/3  
AUTHOR: Kelso  
FEEDBACK: send to kelso28@excite.com  
RATING: PG  
SPOILERS: For "Angel": "I Will Remember You" and most of season three as late as "Sleep Tight"   
for "Buffy": some of season six as late as "Normal Again"  
SUMMARY: B/A. Set in S6. TPTB interfere after Holtz kidnaps Connor. Buffy ends up with the baby, and Angel gets over his crush on Cordelia.   
DISTRIBUTION: anywhere  
SITE: http://www.geocities.com/kelso28a/  
DISCLAIMER: "Buffy" and "Angel" characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc.   
NOTES: Response to the Dork Angel Challenge. The premise was, "TPTB get fed up with Angel's recent actions, his sniffing after Cordelia, straying off the path of redemption, no longer helping people out of the goodness of his heart, wanting to be paid. So they send a representative of TPTB to take Connor from him as a punishment until he proves himself." (Challenge elements are listed at the end of the story.) 

Forget that "Hell's Bells" happened, so Anya and Xander are still together. The action picks up around a week after the events of "Normal Again" (for Buffy) and "Sleep Tight" (for Angel). At this point, Holtz has just taken Connor into the demon dimension, Cordelia is on vacation with Groo, and Buffy recently broke up with Spike.   
  
  
*****   
  
  
Damage Control 

Ever since the unfortunate incident with a demon that had led to Buffy thinking she was in an insane asylum and had imagined her Sunnydale life, her friends hadn't let her patrol on her own. Buffy was about to scream. She just wanted to be alone for one night but it hadn't happened yet. Tonight, Xander was with her and he was driving her crazy. He kept glancing at her, opening his mouth, shutting it, and repeating the process until Buffy felt like shaking the words out of him. "Xander, what do you want to say? Out with it." 

He looked relieved and launched into his speech. "This is kinda awkward but anyway, the other day Spike said something weird that hinted at a romantic involvement between you two. Which is really disturbing even if it's only in his head. Buffy, tell me it's not true. Please." 

Buffy sighed. She'd known the truth would come out sooner or later, but she'd been hoping for later. "Well, Xander, what Spike said was essentially true. Our relationship was off--way off--for a long, long time. Then it was on for a while, and now it's off again but maybe heading back toward on." 

Xander winced. "You say it so matter-of-factly, and it's so...so *ick*. What is wrong with you?" 

"Look, ever since I came back, from *heaven*, might I remind you, it's been a really tough adjustment. I don't feel like I belong here and my life seems empty, like something major is missing. Being around Spike makes me feel less like that. It isn't right, but it's better than when he's not around." 

"So what do you think is missing from your life? Tell me and I'll get it for you. Anything to save you from the horrors of a relationship with nobody's favorite platinum-haired bloodsucker." 

"I don't know, Xander. I wish I did but I just don't." 

***** 

Meanwhile, over in Los Angeles... 

Angel paced the streets, cursing Wolfram & Hart, Holtz, and the fates for taking away his child. He'd finally been happy, or as happy as he was ever going to get, and then it had ended just like that. Worst of all, Connor could be dead or injured, crying out for him, not understanding why his father wasn't there. Angel viciously kicked the nearest tree and was startled when he heard a cry of pain. It sounded like it had come from the tree, but that was highly unlikely. Angel looked around. There weren't any people within sight. So then he looked at the tree again. It was a small elm with a narrow trunk and delicate branches. Angel felt a little like an idiot but he went ahead and addressed the tree anyway. "Was that you just now?" 

A gaping mouth appeared in the tree's bark. "You mean, did I yell in agony when you attacked me? Yes. You obviously think trees don't have feelings and can be abused whenever you please. How wrong you are. But I will forgive you considering the circumstances. I know what has been going on in your life. You see, I am a representative of The Powers That Be. We have recovered your son Connor from the demon dimension, and he is unharmed." 

Angel looked around wildly. "Where is he? I need to see him!" 

The tree held up a branch. "Not so fast. We have some serious matters to discuss. Angel, your behavior of late has developed into a subject of much concern. You have become mercenary, more concerned with procuring money than with fulfilling your mission. We are disappointed to see that redemption has apparently lost some of its value in your eyes. We are also troubled by your changing feelings toward your seer, Cordelia Chase. Whatever has gotten into you, we don't like it. Even seemingly throwaway comments on your part have carried a disturbing undertone. For instance, can you explain why you joked about having obtained box seats at the ballet by eating the ticket holders?" 

"It seemed funny at the time?" Angel ventured in a very small voice. 

"As I was saying, we feel you have lost sight of your purpose. Therefore, we have reached an important decision about your future. We are going to keep Connor away from you, for your own good as well as his." 

"What?" Angel cried. "How is tearing a baby away from his father good for either of us?" 

"You're still missing the point. How do you think you can fulfill your purpose if you constantly have to worry about the baby? The only way to ensure your child's life is to remove him from your keeping. We know more than you are allowed to see, Angel, and believe me when I say it is for the best." 

"I'm his father. I'm all Connor has," Angel protested. 

"Not quite. We plan to take him to his mother." 

"His mother is dead. She staked herself when Connor was born." 

"Darla the vampire gave birth to Connor, but she was not his biological mother," the elm intoned. 

Angel shook his head. "I'm completely lost. I had sex with Darla, I saw her when she was pregnant, I was right next to her when she staked herself and left Connor in her dust. If she isn't his mother, who is, and how?" 

The tree sighed. "If you don't know, we can't tell you. Yet. Rest assured the baby will be well cared for. Also, your separation will not be permanent. But *you* are the key to shortening its length. Consider my words carefully." With a great rustling of its branches, the tree settled back into being merely an elm tree. 

Angel sank to the ground at the base of the tree. Who could possibly be Connor's real mother? He racked his brain, but he couldn't come up with one single possibility. Well, he finally concluded, pretty much anyone had to be an improvement over Darla. Besides, it wasn't like he had much of a choice. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet and headed home. He had a lot to think about. 

***** 

On this particular afternoon in Sunnydale, all the gang except for Buffy and Spike had gathered at the Magic Box. Willow, Xander, and Tara sat around the table going over inventory lists, while Anya had taken Dawn under her wing. The teenager had asked for an after-school job at the Magic Box, and Anya was imparting her most valuable advice. "... and if you break anything, the retail cost comes out of your minimum-wage salary. Also, the customer is always right, except of course when he or she leaves without spending any money." 

"Speaking of customers...." Tara nodded toward the counter, where a gnome-like man who was holding a baby fidgeted. 

Anya moved quickly to collar him before he could decide to leave. "Yes, how can I help you best spend your money?" 

"I'm looking for a Buffy Summers," the man said in a surprisingly deep voice. "I have a delivery for her. She wasn't at her house and I was told she spends a lot of time here." 

"We don't know where she is right now, but if you leave whatever it is with us, we'll give it to her when we see her," Willow volunteered. "It shouldn't be too long." 

"Unless Buffy is off having sex with Spike," Anya piped up brightly. "Then it could be a while." 

Xander scowled at her. Most of the time he thought he loved her, but moments like this one made him wonder. "Anya, that was supposed to be a secret. Just between us, remember?" 

Anya shrugged. "Everyone knows all about *our* sex life and it doesn't bother them. Why shouldn't they know about Buffy's, as well?" 

"Because it's Buffy and *Spike*, and you just grossed everyone out?" Xander suggested. 

The stranger cleared his throat. "It doesn't matter where she is, just that she isn't here. I *must* see her in person." 

At that moment, with either really good or really bad timing depending on how one looked at it, Buffy came walking in and took a seat at the table next to Xander. "Hi, guys. Miss me?" Her inquisitive smile faded when she saw the strange looks on everyone's faces. "What's wrong?" 

Before anyone could answer, the man at the counter walked over. "Buffy Summers?" 

"Yeah, that's me. Who are you?" 

"My name is unimportant. I have something for you." The man placed the baby in the center of the table, atop a pile of receipts. "This child is your son, and you are to take care of him." 

Everyone at the table jumped to their feet and stared at the baby, who lay like a lump. Whatever they'd expected the newcomer to say, they'd all been way, way off. While their attention was otherwise engaged, the stranger began to edge toward the door. 

Buffy was still in shock, but not so much that she didn't notice the evasive action. "Hold on just a minute there. You don't drop a bombshell like that and expect to run away like nothing happened. First of all, I don't have any children." 

"Look, I am a representative of The Powers That Be. They assigned me to deliver the baby. Don't ask me for any details. I only work for them. I did my job, and now I'm leaving." 

"How do we know you're not an evil demon trying to trick us?" Xander demanded. 

"You'll have to take my word for it." With that, the man disappeared into thin air. 

Buffy shook her head in amazement. "And the weirdness of my life keeps on building." 

Dawn edged nearer to the table and pointed out, "No matter who his mother is, if he's really a harmless baby we ought to take care of him. I mean, he *looks* harmless. And he *looks* human. You think that man could have been telling the truth?" 

The gang stood around the table in a semicircle, staring down at the baby. The baby stared back with wide eyes. Then his mouth dropped open and he emitted a series of piercing howls, scarcely pausing for breath between each one. 

Xander clapped his hands over his ears. "This is no time to be politically correct. Can anyone shut that kid up?" 

Buffy warily eyed the baby. "I don't know if I should touch it. Is anyone else game?" 

"Don't look at me," Dawn replied. "*You're* his mother, supposedly." 

Buffy glanced at Willow and Tara, who avoided her gaze. "Cowards. All right. I'll do it." She gingerly reached down and gathered up the screaming baby, handling him in much the same manner as one would a delicate explosive. Gradually, the baby's cries tapered off, until he lay in complete silence in Buffy's arms. 

Willow looked on in awe. "Either you're a miracle worker, or he recognizes you." 

"Let me try something," Tara requested. She gently touched the baby's hand and concentrated for nearly a minute. Finally, she let go and looked at Buffy. "Well, I'm pretty sure he's yours. His energy flow is really similar to Dawn's." 

Buffy cautiously shifted the baby a little closer. "Do you mean he was created out of part of me in the same way she was?" 

"Probably not the same way, and not out of just you," Tara clarified. "I sensed another influence in him that must be his father's." 

"Can you tell who he is?" 

Tara shook her head. "No. If a potential father was here with us I think I could either confirm his identity or rule him out. But otherwise I can't tell." 

"Thanks anyway," Buffy said. "But again I ask, how could I have had a baby and forgotten about it? Of course, considering that memories of Dawn were implanted in all of us, the concept isn't as far-fetched as it might sound." 

Everyone seemed to silently agree that Buffy raised a valid point. They all regarded the baby again. 

"So, how old do you think he is?" Dawn asked. 

Tara considered. "I'd say about four or five months." 

At that moment, the baby, who had been lying quietly, let out a distressed whimper. "Something's wrong," Buffy fretted. "What's wrong with him?" 

"Well, he might need to be changed, or he's hungry or tired or scared or bored or he just wants to make noise," Tara speculated. 

"Pick one of the above," Buffy ordered. 

"Hungry?" Willow guessed. 

Xander scanned the area. "Unless I'm very much mistaken, your new friend didn't leave baby food." 

Buffy sighed. "Isn't it just like them, to dump a baby on the doorstep and not provide any supplies at all? Now I have to go shopping. For lots of stuff. With money I don't have because of my crappy fast-food job that barely covers the bills we've already piled up." 

Anya nodded. "Babies are extremely expensive. Even with the new tax laws in place, the average annual cost of caring for a child of under two years of age is --" 

"Anya, you are not helping matters," Xander pointed out. 

"We'll pool our money," Willow interjected. "And my mom probably has some old baby clothes we could use." 

"Sounds good to me," Buffy said with relief. "Can you go and see about picking up the clothes now? Tara, Xander, you two get the money and go shopping? Dawn and Anya can help me take care of... whatever his name is. You'd think that man could have at least told us the baby's name." 

"You could call him Bill, after the dollar," Anya suggested. "It's a fine, noble name." She wrinkled her brow, then amended, "Either Bill or Cash." 

"Thanks, but no thanks," Buffy said quickly. "I have a few names in mind already." She desperately tried to think of some to avoid having to use one of Anya's suggestions. "Like maybe... Ryan or Evan or Michael?" 

"I like my ideas better," Anya complained, but quietly. Maybe Xander's lectures about being polite were finally sinking in. 

At any rate, Willow, Tara and Xander departed to run their errands, leaving Anya, Dawn, Buffy and the still unnamed baby in the store. 

Now that some of the excitement had died down, Dawn's mind promptly returned to the other hot topic of the day. "So, Buffy, Anya was saying something earlier about you and Spike that got lost in the commotion. Is it true that you two are, ya know, together? 'Cause if it is, that's terrific. He'd make a great boyfriend for you." 

"I'm going to kill Xander," Buffy said through gritted teeth. 

***** 

While Buffy was more confused than she'd been for a while, Angel was just plain depressed. He lay in his room, sprawled across his bed, thinking. After his surreal conversation with the animated elm tree, he'd decided to take stock of his life. What did he have? An unrequited crush. A missing son. A life-consuming mission. A vague promise that he would become human again one day. 

All in all, not much. His life sucked. 

The more he thought about his disastrous existence, the deeper Angel fell into a brood. He lay, wallowing in misery and guilt, luxuriating in the thick feeling of depression that coated him like a wet blanket of snow. 

Eventually, after about an hour, Angel emerged from his brood. He couldn't believe how cathartic it had been. He still didn't feel good, but his state of mind had definitely improved. He thought back to the last time he had brooded and was shocked that he couldn't remember when that had been. He'd been too busy lately acting cheerful and light-hearted, and look where that behavior had gotten him--betrayed by one of his few friends, ignored by his love interest, hounded by demons, separated from his son. 

No, some things just weren't meant to be, and a jolly Angel was one of them. Right then and there, Angel vowed to set aside an hour every day to be dedicated solely to brooding. 

He smiled; he felt better already. 

TPTB, however, did not. 

Watching Angel from afar, one observer complained, "No. Don't you dare go back to brooding. We're tired of watching you make a fool of yourself, but the brooding got on our nerves too. Don't you understand the concept of a happy medium?" 

His companion shrugged philosophically. "Look on the bright side: at least he's practically forgotten that Cordelia Chase exists." 

The other Power replied darkly, "That's because she's still away with her boyfriend. The true test of Angel's feelings will come when she returns. And that will be very soon indeed." 

***** 

Following a night shift at Doublemeat Palace, Buffy returned home to find Anya watching the baby (whom Buffy had named Evan, much to Anya's disappointment). Since Dawn had to go to school the next day, Buffy had insisted she not stay up late to babysit. Hence, Anya's presence. Evan lay in his playpen next to the couch, wide awake and seemingly content to listen to the sounds issuing from the television his babysitter was intently watching. 

Buffy removed her name tag and tossed it on the table. "Hi, Anya. Everything go okay tonight? Is Dawn in bed?" 

"Yes and yes," the former demon replied without removing her gaze from the television screen. "Just let me finish watching this program and then I'll leave." 

"No rush." Buffy glanced at the screen, where psychic John Edward was trying to convince an audience member that a woman whose first or last name began with the letter S or L was a relative communicating from beyond the grave. 

"Do you realize he gets paid to do this?" Anya demanded. "I could do this! I would definitely be better at it, too." 

While Anya continued to criticize the psychic's technique, Buffy went to close the front curtains. Outside in the yard, she spotted the telltale light of a cigarette glowing. Spike was lurking again after a short absence. He hadn't been around in the last several days and didn't know about Evan's existence. Well, Buffy decided, it was as good a time as any to fill him in. "Anya, I'll be right back," she called as she opened the front door and stepped outside. 

Spike didn't move forward to meet her. He was probably still sulking over their breakup, which Buffy had been reconsidering. She hadn't said it was definitely permanent, after all, and she did kind of miss Spike. A lot depended on how he reacted to the baby. Since the vampire wasn't coming to her, Buffy crossed the yard to speak to him. "Spike, I'm glad you're here. Come with me. I have something to show you." 

"I'll look at it right here," Spike offered, grabbing for Buffy's shirt. 

She slapped his hands away. "Not *that* kind of something." Ignoring Spike's disappointed expression, Buffy led him inside the house to the living room and pointed to the playpen. "Look!" 

Spike stared. Rubbed his eyes. Stared again, then shook his head. "A *baby*!" he exclaimed. "Is this some kind of joke? You're babysitting, right?" 

"Sorry, Spike. I'm not sure exactly how, but the baby's mine." 

"I don't suppose you'd consider giving it away?" Spike asked hopefully. 

Buffy squelched her slight feeling of disappointment. Realistically, she hadn't expected Spike to take to the idea. And it wasn't like she had much time for him anymore, what with her job and Dawn and the baby now. "Sorry, Evan's here to stay. I never thought I'd live long enough to have children, you know." 

"If this isn't just the bleeding end," Spike muttered. "Sorry, Slayer, you're making things way too complicated. If you don't mind, I'm thinking it's time we should make our split final once and for all. No hard feelings?" 

"No hard feelings," Buffy agreed. "But we can still be friends. Enemies. Whatever. Evan will want to spend lots of time with his Uncle Spike, you know." 

Spike shook his head. "Forget it. No way am I babysitting for you, ever." 

"Shoot," said Buffy. "Oh, all right. But forget the Uncle Spike part then." 

"Gladly," said Spike. "Gladly." 

They stood looking uncomfortably at one another until finally Buffy broke down. "I'm going to prove I'm a big person and offer you a cup of blood anyway. Do you want it?" 

"A free meal? Of course. But put it in a plain mug this time, not one with those poofy flowers on it." 

Buffy rolled her eyes and retreated to the kitchen. Spike looked at the TV set, where one of his least favorite programs was playing. Bored, he glanced at the playpen. An evil thought wormed its way into his mind and refused to go away. Spike resisted it for a fraction of a second before he gave in, formed his vamp face, and flashed it at the baby. To his utter shock, the child giggled and reached toward him. 

"Spike, he *likes* you," Buffy declared in an awestruck tone as she returned from the kitchen. 

It was hard to tell which of them was more surprised, but Spike was clearly more dismayed. Defeated, he sank onto the sofa beside Anya and clutched his head in his hands. "It's official. I am now the most pathetic vampire on the face of the earth. I can't even scare babies anymore." 

Anya patted his back. "Angel is more pathetic than you." 

Spike mournfully shook his head. "Not after this." 

Of course, since Angel had apparently forgotten Buffy's existence and never called, none of them knew what was happening to him over in Los Angeles right then. 

***** 

One afternoon about two weeks after Connor's disappearance, Cordelia strolled into the hotel. "Hey, guys, I'm home!" No one came rushing to greet her. Cordelia frowned and raised her voice. "It's me--Cordelia--your portal to The Powers That Be--your source of weird visions. I'm back!" 

Slowly, Fred shuffled down the stairs with a hangdog expression on her face. "Oh, Cordelia, hi." She made a vain attempt to smile. 

Cordelia glanced around. "So where is everyone?" 

"Well, a lot happened while you were gone. Wesley ran away with Connor to try to keep him safe, only his plan backfired. Connor was kidnapped and Wesley ended up in the hospital with a slit throat and Holtz took Connor into a demon dimension right in front of Angel's eyes." 

"Wow. How is Angel holding up?" 

"Pretty badly. He almost fell completely apart the night Connor was taken away. Then he said an elm tree talked to him, and after that he started to brood a lot." 

Cordelia stomped her foot. "No! It took me two years to break him of that habit. I thought he was fixed. I got him to be all cheerful and smiley. He was even doing baby talk and making funny faces." 

"Um, yeah." Fred looked around. "Hey, where's Groo?" 

"He went running off to play champion to some oppressed Mexicans. But that's okay. It wasn't exactly working out between us anyway. The less said about that, the better. So, you say Angel's having a hard time?" 

"Maybe you could help him," Fred suggested. "He does have that huge crush on you, but he was noble and let you leave with Groo so you'd be happy. Since Groo isn't around anymore...." 

"Angel? Crush? On me?" A smile slowly spread across Cordelia's face. She'd been attracted to Angel since her high-school days. Of course, back then he'd only had eyes for Buffy. Cordelia hadn't seen any reason why she shouldn't try to save him from a relationship with the other girl, and she had shamelessly flirted with Angel until it hit her that he really was not interested. 

She'd been over her crush on Angel for years, but they *had* formed a strong friendship since moving to Los Angeles. The strange thing was, she wasn't sure when it had turned to love on Angel's part. No, Cordelia, who prided herself on spotting the telltale signs of infatuation and shooting them down in flames, had totally missed them in the vampire. Now that she knew how he felt, though, her interest in him revived with a fury. He was the one who had gotten away. She was sure he could use a lot of comforting now that poor Connor was gone, and she was exactly the woman to provide it. 

__

__


	2. The Middle

Damage Control 2/3 

Buffy smiled as she set Evan down for his nap. He really was a very quiet baby--calm and patient. He must have been well taken care of before he was brought for to her. Yet again, Buffy wondered where her son had been for the first several months of his life, but she couldn't think of any possibilities. 

She tiptoed out and headed to the living room, where Dawn was watching TV and Willow was reading a mystery novel. Spike, Xander, and Anya had taken her patrol for the night. For some reason, the Sunnydale demon population had substantially fallen off and patrolling no longer took nearly as much time or effort as it had even a few weeks earlier. Plus, given her new responsibilities, Buffy was much more willing to allow her friends to take over some of those duties so she could spend more time at home. 

She flopped onto the couch beside Willow just as the telephone rang. "I'll get it!" Dawn yelled, jumping up and running into the kitchen. 

Willow put her book aside. "You think she wanted to use the phone in there because she has a secret boyfriend who's calling?" 

Buffy shuddered. "God, I hope not. Remember what happened the last time Dawn went out with a boy?" 

"Halloween. Kinda tough to forget," Willow agreed. "But you know, she's gonna start dating seriously sooner or later. I just hope she finds someone as perfect for her as Tara is for me." Willow hesitated and looked at her friend. "I really wish you had someone too, Buffy. I mean, not that you need a significant other to make your life complete or happy or anything, but it wouldn't hurt, would it? And I'm not talking about you and Spike, either. It's just... well... have you talked to Angel lately? 'Cause maybe things have changed with him and -- " 

"No," Buffy interrupted in a flat tone. 

"Oh." Willow paused. "Um. Well, I was wondering why not?" 

"I'm not exactly happy with Angel at the moment. I mean, I die, I come back to life, he meets with me once, and then what do I hear from him? Nada. Zilch. Not a word. You'd think a good, solid reminder of my mortality would have more impact on him, but I don't even get a monthly checkup call. So if that's the way he wants things, fine with me." 

At that moment Dawn walked into the room. "Buffy," she said quietly. 

Willow and Buffy looked at the teenager. Tears welled in her eyes and her lower lip was quivering. "Dawn? What's wrong?" Buffy demanded. 

Dawn wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "It's really bad news. Dad was on a business trip with his secretary in Ireland and accidentally fell under a bus. He's dead." 

***** 

Angel checked off yet another Connor-less day on his office calendar and sighed. How much longer would they be separated? He was doing everything he could think of to get back on the right track. The way he'd seen it, he had two choices. He could either rebel against TPTB, ignore their advice, and try to find Connor on his own--basically, undertake a needle-in-a-field-of-haystacks task, since he hadn't the first idea who Connor's mother was and therefore had no chance at figuring out where they would be. Or he could buckle down, follow instructions, and eventually, as promised, reunite with his son. 

He wasn't the happiest vampire in the world, but Angel had chosen the second option and made a list of all the actions TPTB apparently wanted him to undertake. 

Brood? Check. 

Not charge clients? Check. 

Quit making stupid jokes? Check. 

Increase work load? Check. 

Stop smiling like a fool for no reason? Check again. 

The only thing Angel couldn't figure out was what he was supposed to do about Cordelia. He didn't know what his feelings toward her had to do with anything. And no matter what TPTB said, he wasn't giving up one of his few friends. He hadn't even cut off Wesley. Somehow, he'd managed to forgive the former Watcher for taking Connor away, and they were once more working together. 

As Angel replaced the calendar in his desk drawer, his gaze fell upon a crumpled photo of Buffy that he had tucked away. Instantly, Angel felt himself falling into a brood. He got up and locked the door, hoping that Cordelia wouldn't return early from having a facial and pester him again. She meant well, but she was really getting on his nerves. He needed to brood in private, especially since he couldn't believe the horrible way he had treated Buffy. In fact, Angel was so ashamed he couldn't even bring himself to pick up the phone and call her. He figured she would be sure to hang up on him. Besides, how could he explain the absolutely idiotic decisions he had made recently? No, it was better to stay out of her life completely. 

***** 

Buffy and Dawn had a few days to get over the initial shock of their father's death before his will reading was held at the end of the week. That afternoon, Anya, Tara, Xander, and Willow waited in the Magic Box with Evan for Buffy and Dawn to return from the lawyer's office. The sisters finally walked in with puzzled expressions on their faces and sat down at the table with the others. 

"Is something wrong? What did the lawyer say?" Xander asked eagerly. 

"Something about Dad's death was a little strange," Buffy replied. "The witnesses said that even though he was walking alone, it looked almost as though someone dragged him under the bus. They must have been drunk or something. Anyway, the life insurance pay-off is pretty substantial and Dad left us some cash on top of that. Dawn, Evan, and I aren't filthy rich but we're comfortable." 

"So, Buffy, what are you going to do now that you have so much beautiful money?" Anya asked. 

"You mean after I quit my job at Doublemeat Palace? Well, I have a major purchase in mind but it depends on what all of you say." Buffy looked around the table at her companions. "See, I was thinking there's something we should have done a long time ago. And that's establish a base of operations. Meeting here for strategy sessions is great, but we always waste travel time because we have to come from scattered parts of town. It would be much more convenient if we all moved in together in one house. And a bigger house falls within my new budget. What do you think?" 

"The Buffster raises a good point," Xander admitted. "I like the idea. Anya?" 

His girlfriend considered. "The lease on our apartment is almost up and the rent is increasing. Besides, a house would be more private." 

"Sounds good to me," Willow offered as Tara nodded. 

Dawn shrugged. "Fine, as long as we don't sell our old house." 

With that matter settled, Willow asked, "Do we start house hunting right away?" 

"As a matter of fact, I already have a place in mind," Buffy said. "It's perfect. It's huge, it's in a convenient location, I bet it's dirt cheap, it's --" 

"Buffy, if you're going to say it's the mansion on Crawford Street, I'm going to say a big 'ook,'" Xander warned. 

Anya and Tara, who had been absent during the Angelus glory days, looked blank. Willow and Dawn, struck by unpleasant memories, turned slightly green. 

"Actually, no," Buffy replied. "I was going to say the old boarding house on Lincoln Avenue. The one that closed down last year due to lack of business." 

No one objected to that location, so the gang soon found themselves moving into the Lincoln Avenue house. And for a while, life moved along pretty smoothly. 

***** 

Over in L.A., Cordelia was not making the headway she had hoped for with Angel. She had no idea why. Once she'd thought about Fred's words, she'd realized that Angel had been making cow eyes at her for months before Connor's abduction and she just hadn't noticed at the time. He was interested, she was too, so why wasn't he taking the bait and crying on her shoulder? 

Cordelia had already concluded that Angel's feelings for Buffy couldn't be the problem. He must not have loved Buffy *that* much or he would have found a way around the happiness clause in his curse rather than just leave Sunnydale like he had. After all, spells and potions existed for just about every condition or situation. And the fact that Angel had fallen for Cordelia so soon after Buffy's death proved his love for the other girl had been fleeting. 

Given the circumstances, Cordelia didn't understand why things weren't going better between her and Angel. They should have been dating, at the very least. She'd taken to spending most of the day with him, trying to prevent him from brooding his life away or working himself to exhaustion, yet his reaction had been less than encouraging. 

At the moment, they were in Angel's office. Cordelia sat in the chair across from his desk and studied the vampire. He was sitting with a morose expression on his face, dangerously close to brooding right in front of her. Cordelia hated that. She was doing her best to distract him, but Angel barely grunted whenever she spoke. Cordelia gritted her teeth and decided to try yet again. "I know you're still upset about Connor, but you have other things to live for." 

Angel nodded slowly, clearly not listening. Cordelia flopped back in her chair in frustration. What was wrong with that idiotic vampire? She was giving him what he wanted, so why had locking lips apparently become a foreign concept to him? 

Well, she wasn't going to give up so easily. Cordelia jumped up and circled the desk to stand directly in front of Angel. "*I'm* still here, remember." She leaned forward, lips slightly parted, and anxiously awaited his reaction. 

***** 

Angel leaned back as far as his chair would allow. Cordelia had been behaving very strangely lately and he didn't like it. In fact, she was making him extremely nervous. "Cordy, can you... go file invoices or something?" he asked desperately. 

She moved even closer, seriously invading his personal space. "We don't *have* any invoices ever since you stopped charging our clients. If this keeps up, we'll go bankrupt and I'll never be able to buy any new clothes to wear on any dates I might happen to be asked out on." 

"Cordelia, can you give me a little time to myself?" Angel begged. 

"No, that isn't good for you," she objected. "You'll just get all depressed and frowny." 

Angel thought about gently but firmly shoving Cordelia out the door, but he wasn't sure if being so rude would jeopardize his redemption. No, he wouldn't do anything that might interfere with Connor's return. But if Cordelia edged any nearer, she'd be sitting in his lap. Angel jumped up and began to pace around the office. Cordelia was sticking to him like glue and making him miss his daily brooding session. He tried to brood even with her there, but vaguely Angel became aware that Cordelia's voice was droning on. She was talking about miniskirts and manicures and how nice it would be to go to the ballet again. Why couldn't she just leave him alone for at least part of the day like the others did? Angel cringed and did his best to tune out the sound of Cordelia's incessant babbling. He didn't know how much more of it he could endure before he went insane. 

***** 

Three months after the gang moved in together, Buffy was settled into the living room with Evan, who had just woken up from a nap. Willow, Xander, and Anya were out patrolling as a team, even though demonic activity had been so low lately Buffy wondered if they would run into anything that was slayable. 

The front doorbell rang, and she called, "Dawn? Tara? Can one of you get the door?" There was no response and several seconds later the doorbell chimed again. It looked like she'd have to answer it. Dawn was probably ignoring her and Tara was likely out of hearing range. Buffy tucked Evan against her shoulder and hurried to the door to see one of the last people she had expected: Giles. 

"Giles, you're back! Um... why? You took off, you didn't call, you didn't write, you were almost as bad as Angel, but at least you had the excuse of being in another country. Even on another continent. *He's* not even a time zone away but what do I hear from him? Nothing!" 

"Buffy, I'm sorry to interrupt. But why are you holding a baby? Surely I haven't been gone *that* long." 

"Hellmouth, Giles," Buffy reminded him. "But where are my manners? Come in." She led him into the living room, placed Evan in the playpen, then turned and enveloped Giles in a fierce hug. "I've missed you so much. So why are you here? I mean, not that I mind, obviously. But you said you wanted to go home to England, you *did* go, and the whole no-contact thing kinda seemed like a sign." 

Giles smiled sheepishly. "I realized what a terrible mistake I had made. I belong in Sunnydale. This *is* my home. If you'll have me." 

"I don't know. Let me think about it." Buffy pretended to consider--for about a second. "Are you kidding? Without a doubt, we all want you to stay. I don't even have to ask the others. I know what they'll say." 

They sat down on the couch, and Giles noted, "I was surprised to learn from your old neighbors that you had moved." 

"Yeah, my dad died and left me and Dawn a lot of money. It seemed like a good idea for all the gang to move in together so we did." 

Giles glanced at the playpen. "I'm almost afraid to ask, but the baby?" 

"About three months ago this strange man showed up and said he was a representative of The Powers That Be. He gave me the baby and claimed I was his mother. Tara says it's true because Evan's energy flow matches mine. And you know, however he came to be, I've decided that Evan showed up at the perfect time. I couldn't understand why I was brought back to life and then I got him. I'm here because he needs his mother." 

"What a remarkable story," Giles stated. "But if you've only been taking care of him for a few months, where was he before he was brought to you?" 

"I have no idea but I'm pretty sure that representative guy didn't have him all that time. He was really uncomfortable with even holding Evan. And he gave me, like, *no* details. Like name, birthday, medical history. You know, the basics." 

Giles polished his glasses, taking an inordinate amount of time even for him. "Buffy, have you given any thought as to the identity of the child's father?" 

"Well," Buffy said, "given that we live on the Hellmouth, the possibilities are vast and frightening. But I did the math and Riley's kind of the obvious choice unless it was an immaculate conception. Which is entirely possible and maybe preferable." 

"Ahem," Giles declared. "If I may ask, do you plan to consult with Riley about this matter?" 

Buffy shook her head. "No. Not right now, anyway. He came to town for a visit a little while ago, and he's happily married. I didn't even have the nerve to say I tried to stop him from leaving me all those months ago. If I couldn't admit to that much, I'd have a really hard time working up to telling him we might have a child together." 

"Quite," Giles replied, at a loss for an argument. 

"So, putting aside the fatherhood issue for now, how do you feel about being Grandpa Giles?" 

Giles smiled. "I think I could live with that." 

"Good. Now, let's go find Dawn and Tara and let them know you're back. And by the way, you owe me a birthday present." 

***** 

At the same time, Angel was not doing so well. He was working hard, doing his best to redeem himself, for little tangible reward. He knew getting revenge on his enemies would make him feel at least a little better, but vengeance was easier thought than done. For one thing, Holtz was beyond his reach in the demon dimension. And sure, he could get at the folks at Wolfram & Hart, and killing them was an enticing thought. Unfortunately, Angel knew he'd just have to carry around even more guilt if he did succumb to that temptation. He had just about resigned himself to the fact that he could do nothing when fate intervened. 

After word had spread that the workers at Angel Investigations were no longer charging, they had been overrun with clients. Three of those clients happened to be half demons who looked human most of the time. They reminded Angel of his old friend Doyle, and he decided to handle their case himself for nostalgia's sake. He showed the group into his office, where they explained their situation. 

"Our race is dying," the first demon began. "Naturally, we don't want this to happen." 

Angel nodded. "Perfectly understandable. What kind of help do you need?" 

The middle demon took over the story. "There is one way to save our lives, and that is if we suck part of the brains from approximately 100 adult humans. The effect on them would be complete memory loss. They would have to relearn even the basics of life--things most five-year-olds know. We have no desire to ruin anyone's lives, but at the same time, we don't want to die ourselves. We realize this is a difficult proposition, but we were hoping you could direct us to some humans who would be suitable for our purposes." 

Angel's first impulse was to answer with a firm "no" and send the demons on their way. Then he reconsidered. The fact that they had requested help rather than just sucking random brains spoke well for them. He had to at least try to aid them. On the other hand, Angel didn't feel he had the right to pick and choose and decide who deserved to retain their memories and who didn't. He started to shake his head, when a thought struck him. Would it work? Could it possibly? Angel remained silent for long moments, examining the ethics of the situation. He could find no flaws, but a heck of a lot of benefits. Finally, he turned back to the demons. "Yeah, I know some people you can use. In fact, I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say you would be helping the world if you took their memories." He dug in his desk, located a business card, and handed it to the closest demon. "Go to this address. The business is called Wolfram & Hart. Just do me one favor." 

"Anything," the demons chorused. 

"Make sure you take care of everyone in the place." 

***** 

Angel figured he had made a good decision. Just days after his meeting with the demons, Wolfram & Hart had mysteriously dropped out of the business community, and the demon underworld had been thrown into chaos. No one was able to figure out what had gone wrong at the law firm. 

Angel's crowning moment came about two weeks later, when he passed Lilah on the street and she showed no signs of recognition. In fact, she was in the middle of learning to tie her shoes again. 

Given that since he'd taken out Wolfram & Hart, Angel figured he had scored some bonus points with TPTB, yet he hadn't received so much as a progress report from them. At the rate things were going, Connor would be a teenager before they reunited. 

Frustrated beyond belief, Angel went outside late one night and stared at the sky. "When do I get to see my son again?" he yelled into the void. "Don't I at least get a hint?" 

There was no answer. 

***** 

Evan had been in Sunnydale for six months, and everyone was happier than they had been for a long time. Willow and Tara were back together, Giles had returned and was living in the house with the others, Buffy had rebounded from her depression... Even Dawn was feeling upbeat. She had a real family once more. 

Unable to sleep one night, she snuck into Evan's room to see if he was awake and needed anything. Instead he was peacefully sleeping in his crib. "You're a cute kid, even if Riley is your dad," Dawn whispered. "Which he may very well not be," 

She quietly left the room and headed downstairs, towards the kitchen. A late night snack of ice cream sounded like a really good idea. As she got closer to the kitchen, Dawn heard a strange noise. She stopped and strained her ears. It was kind of a swishing sound and it was coming from the basement. Who would be down there at this time of night? 

Cautiously, Dawn approached the basement door. It was ajar and the light was on downstairs. She slowly crept down until she could see into the large room. When she realized who was there, she immediately relaxed. It was just Spike. He wore a thick blindfold and held an ornate sword, which he was somewhat unsuccessfully attempting to drive through the "hearts" of a series of dummies set up along the floor. 

Dawn perched on the bottom step to watch him. "What are you doing, Spike?" 

The vampire jumped straight in the air, dropped the sword and yanked off his blindfold. "Watch it, Nibblet! I could have hurt you, you know." 

Dawn shrugged. "Yeah, but what were you doing?" 

Spike crossed the room and sat beside Dawn. "Practicing my blindfolded fighting technique. I got the idea from Buffy. Didn't she have to do something like this once when the Watchers' Council tested her? Anyway, I needed a large, enclosed space where I could do it safely and this place fit the bill. You know, that technique could come in handy sometime. Helps sharpen the senses." 

"Then how come you didn't know I was here until I said something?" 

"That's why I need to practice." 

Dawn nodded. "That makes sense. So, I'm glad you came over. You haven't been around enough lately. Is it because of Evan? 'Cause Buffy said she wouldn't mind if you visited with him. I think she figures he ought to be exposed to at least one harmless vampire before the bitey ones start coming around." 

"You want the truth about how I feel 'bout children? I've never much liked 'em. They're loud. Irritating. Tend to travel in packs." Spike glanced at Dawn. "Present company excluded, of course. Babies are the worst, though. Too small to make even a good snack. You barely start drinking and nothing's left of them. On the other hand, if you keep them alive they need constant care and take ages to grow into a proper-size meal. What good are babies?" 

"Children are a part of you that carries on even when you're gone," Dawn tried to explain. 

Spike looked unconvinced. "Huh. Vampires have the right way of things, then. Turn an adult and you don't have to put up with any of that nonsense. You get all the benefits and none of the trouble." 

"Take my word for it, Evan's worth the time." Over an ice-cream sundae, Dawn continued to try to convince Spike that she was right. 

***** 

Meanwhile, Cordelia just wouldn't give up on Angel. On this particular day, she had come up with a clever scheme she was sure would draw the vampire back into her clutches. The timing was ideal: She'd sent Wesley, Fred, and Gunn away on a wild-demon chase so she and Angel would be alone in the office. 

"Angel, I have an audition for a suntan-lotion commercial," she informed him. "I'm not sure which outfit to wear so I thought you could help me decide. All right?" 

"Yeah, right," Angel muttered. 

Not quite the enthusiastic reaction she had hoped for, but Cordelia figured once Angel saw her in an array of her skimpiest clothing, his attitude would change. She quickly switched into her first outfit, a white one-piece with slits up the sides, and paraded in front of Angel's desk. He blankly looked ahead, not even seeming to register her presence. "Well, what do you think?" she prompted. 

"Nice," Angel responded with a notable lack of enthusiasm. 

Maybe the white was too plain for him. Cordelia quickly hunted for a flashier color and switched outfits. "Okay, how about... this one?" And she popped up wearing a green bikini. 

"Fine. Great." Angel stared at a spot on the wall over her shoulder. 

Cordelia had had enough of his inattention. She planted her hands on her hips and snapped, "Really, Angel, I don't know what's wrong with you. Here I am, letting you make a hugely important decision about my future, and you can't even keep your eyes open for ten minutes." 

That was it. Angel had been restraining his temper around Cordelia for months but he simply couldn't take it anymore. "You'll have to excuse me, but I have more important matters on my mind than helping a wannabee actress decide how to wear the least possible clothing." 

Cordelia's mouth flopped open and shut. "Well, I *never*." 

'And it's way past time,' Angel thought. 

Cordelia scooped up her clothing and stalked up the stairs, the haughty effect somewhat spoiled when she stumbled on a step and nearly fell flat on her face. 

Angel slowly shook his head. "I don't know what I ever saw in that girl," he mumbled to himself. He could practically feel his brain cells regenerating already. 

TPTB were satisfied. They had heard enough. Angel had worked hard for a full six months. He had buckled down and helped the helpless with no hand outstretched. He had taken out Wolfram & Hart with a splash. And finally, *finally*, he had gotten over his laughable interest in Cordelia. It was time to implement the next phase of their plan: reuniting him with his son. 

***** 

The day after the blow up, Angel and Cordelia both apologized for their overly harsh words and established a tentative truce but they weren't entirely comfortable in each other's presence. Cordelia wasn't sure what she had done wrong. Still, she wasn't about to give up. It might take her a while, but she would figure out the best way to get at Angel. 

So she was pleased that evening when she felt a vision coming on. She thought it might provide a good opportunity for her to work side by side with Angel and regain some of his trust. She called him over and reported, "I'm having another vision. There's a big demon, green and scaly like a lizard. Totally gross. Its hands are clawy and it has lots and lots of teeth, all brownish. Oh." Cordelia paused in dismay. She didn't like the next part of the vision one little bit. 

"Well, what is it?" Angel waited impatiently. 

Cordelia sighed. She had to tell him, even though she hated the thought. "The demon is fighting Giles and Willow and Xander. And I think it's about to kill them." 

"We'd better warn Buffy and the others," Angel decided. He grabbed the phone and dialed the numbers in quick succession: Buffy's, Giles', even Xander's. The numbers were either disconnected or belonged to other people. "Something strange is going on. I don't like this. It looks like I have to go to Sunnydale." 

"Well, you're not going without me," Cordelia declared. "Gunn, Fred, and Wesley can hold down the fort here." 

"Okay, but hurry up. I don't like what's going on." 

As Cordelia threw her travel bag together, she optimistically mused that maybe going to Sunnydale wouldn't be a mistake at all. Even though she had concluded that Angel no longer loved Buffy, it was entirely possible the vampire's infamous guilt complex was preventing him from moving on. If he could see for himself that Buffy wasn't waiting around for him, though, he would surely feel free to do the same. And who better to move on with than Cordelia herself? 

***** 

Angel broke every speed limit on the way to Sunnydale, not letting up until they reached the city limits. From there he drove to Buffy's house on Revello Drive. Even from the street the place looked deserted, and Cordelia waited in the car as Angel rang the doorbell. Not surprisingly, no one answered. Angel returned to the car, started the engine again and pulled back onto the street. 

"What now?" Cordelia asked. "Do you think Buffy's back in college and living on campus?" 

Angel shrugged. "I have no clue. Let's face it, we haven't exactly been keeping in touch. But I know the quickest way to find out--ask Willy. He used to know just about everything that happened in this town and he probably still does." 

So their next stop was Willy's Bar. Sure enough, Willy was able to immediately provide the new location not only for Buffy but for the rest of the group as well. Just a few minutes later, Angel and Cordelia arrived at the Lincoln Avenue address. Even though it was nearly midnight, lights were on in the downstairs area of the house, indicating that someone was probably still up. Now that they were so close, Cordelia noticed that Angel seemed almost unwilling to go up to the door. But he finally dragged himself out of the car and up to the front of the large house with Cordelia close behind. 

Angel pressed the doorbell, and within a few seconds the door swung open to reveal Giles. "Angel, Cordelia. What a surprise to see you two. Is anything the matter?" 

"Is Buffy here?" Angel asked. 

"Yes. She and Xander and some of the others are in the living room." Giles indicated the direction with a nod. 

Angel turned to Cordelia. "Cordy, can you tell the others the news while I talk to Giles?" 

Cordelia smiled broadly. "Sure." Angel was obviously uncomfortable with the very thought of being in Buffy's presence. As far as Cordelia was concerned, that was an excellent sign. She left him with Giles in the hallway and entered the living room, where Xander, Anya, Buffy, and a young blonde woman she didn't know were gathered. Xander sat on the couch, holding a baby. Cordelia stared. The last she knew, none of the old gang had any children. 

"Cordelia?" Buffy's startled voice interrupted her thoughts. "What's going on? Why are you here?" 

"Oh, Buffy, hello. Um, a demon with bad teeth is after your friends. Or I guess it will be soon. Angel's talking to Giles about it now." 

"Angel's here?" Buffy started to stand, then sank back into her seat. 

"That's our Cordelia, polite as always," Xander noted. "We're all fine, thank you very much for asking. That includes Tara." He indicated the blonde woman. "I don't think you two have met before." 

"Nice to meet you," Cordelia lied as Tara mumbled a greeting. Not really interested in making small talk, Cordelia eyed the baby again and thought quickly. If Angel saw her acting domestic with an infant, he could react in one of two ways: be upset because it reminded him of Connor, or be touched because it reminded him of Connor. Cordelia decided it was time to take a chance and hope for the best. Nothing else she'd done so far had worked. She plunked herself on the sofa next to Xander and requested, "Let me hold the baby." 

She extended her arms. After a nod from Buffy, Xander shrugged and carefully handed over the baby. He squirmed in Cordelia's hold, but she merely gripped him more securely. "Whose is he? Yours, Xander? I'd think you would have told me you were a father, considering you used to stick your tongue down my throat in the janitor's closet at school and all." 

"No, Cordelia, he's mine and his name is Evan," Buffy informed him. 

"Yours," Cordelia echoed. She smirked triumphantly. Buffy had a child. A child who wasn't Angel's. That little fact should shove him over any lingering infatuation he might still misguidedly feel for Buffy. "So who's the father?" 

A quiet but firm voice interjected. "I really don't think that's any of your business, Cordelia." 

Everyone turned to stare at mild-mannered Tara. Even Evan got into the act by wailing and struggling in Cordelia's grasp, forcing her to turn him back over to Xander just as Giles and Angel entered the room. 

"Angel was just telling me about --" Giles began. 

He was interrupted by Angel, who stopped short and stared at the baby in Xander's arms. "My God. That's Connor." 

"Who's Connor?" Anya asked. 

Angel stepped closer, never moving his gaze from the baby's face. "My son. That's him." 

"Uh, no," Buffy protested. "That's *my* son, Evan. And for that matter, when did you have time to have a son? Or the physical capability?" 

"I could ask the same of you. The first part, anyway." 

"I asked first." 

"Fine. Short version. I'm his father, and I thought Darla was his mother. She staked herself and left me with the kid. I raised him until he was kidnapped six months ago. The Powers That Be rescued him and took him away, and I haven't seen him since. All they told me was Darla wasn't his real mother and he was being given to whoever was. What's your story?" 

Buffy sighed. "It makes about as much sense as yours does. One day about six months ago, I walked into the Magic Box and this strange man said I was Evan's mother and left him with me, just like that." 

"This six-months thing doesn't seem like just a coincidence," Xander observed. 

"It has to be," Cordelia insisted. "This baby couldn't possibly be Connor. He would have remembered his Aunt Cordy. We were very close." 

"I don't know about remembering anyone," Buffy interjected. "But Angel, how can you be so sure Evan is your son? Babies change a lot in half a year." 

Angel walked forward until he was standing right in front of Xander. "I can sense it. And his eyes are the same. Give him to me. He'll remember me, I'm sure of it." 

Xander handed off Evan to another individual. This time, instead of fussing, he settled comfortably into Angel's arms and began babbling mostly nonsense words, with one very clear exception: "Dada." 

"See? I told you he'd know me," Angel said proudly. 

"It does seem rather obvious," Giles agreed. 

Buffy turned to Tara. "I want to be sure. Can you check like you did with me?" 

"Sure." Tara got up and touched Angel with one hand, Evan with the other. It didn't take her long to decide. "It's true. They're father and son." 

Buffy shook her head. "I was thinking maybe Riley was my baby's father. Now you say Angel. I guess I'm falling back on the immaculate-conception theory because it just isn't possible. Angel and I haven't--you know--since my 17th birthday," Buffy explained to the others. 

Angel cleared his throat. "That isn't strictly true. Buffy, do you remember the time you came to see me in Los Angeles? When the Mohra demon attacked us in my office? Well, there's a little something I kind of never told you about that visit. My blood got mixed up with the demon's and it turned me human and we basically spent a day getting it on on every flat surface in my apartment and some that weren't. But then I found out I was weak as a human and you couldn't work to the best of your abilities if you had to worry about me. So I went to the oracles and they turned back time. You don't remember that day because to you, it never happened." 

"But I visited you in late November of 1999," Buffy remembered. "Even if I could have conceived then, now it's September of 2002 and Evan is about a year old. How --" 

Angel interrupted. "Don't even bother trying to do the math. It doesn't add up, just like lots of other things in all our lives." 

"Whether the dates match or not, cases of extremely unusual pregnancies *have* been reported," Giles noted. "I will have to do some research." 

"I don't recall any cases of vampires having children together," Anya stated. "And Angel did say he originally thought Darla was the baby's mother." 

Buffy shook her head. "Yeah, that's a tough one. Seriously, Angel--Darla? What were you thinking? No, wait. Don't answer that." 

"I don't know, that's not as bad as you and Spike," Xander interjected. Buffy's previous relationship with the blonde vampire was still a sore point with him. 

"What?" Angel yelled. 

Buffy cringed. That wasn't exactly how she'd wanted Angel to learn her big secret. There was no way he would react well to learning about her and Spike. 

"You and Spike?" Cordelia echoed. "Buffy, your taste in men has obviously gone way downhill." 

Avoiding any further discussion, Buffy jumped up and took Connor/Evan away from Angel. "This really isn't the time to get into certain subjects. Plus, I think Evan's had more than enough excitement for one night. I know I have." 

"Yes, well, perhaps we had all better sleep on the situation," Giles suggested. "I expect matters will seem a little more clear in the morning." 

"Fat chance of that," Xander muttered, but Giles' idea did seem like the best course of action. So everyone did soon turn in, wondering what surprises the next day would bring. 

end 2/3 


	3. The End, almost

Damage Control 3/3 

As it turned out, pretty much the entire gang slept poorly. Cordelia was plagued by nightmares about Buffy and Angel getting married, while Giles tossed and turned and ended up spending most of the night poring over reference material. An oblivious Willow and Dawn were the only occupants of the house who rested relatively well. The one good thing was that it was a Friday night so no one had to worry about school or work the next day. 

Though it was late in the morning, Buffy was the first to rise. She checked on Evan, closed all the curtains, and finally wandered into the kitchen, only to find the place deserted. So she fixed herself breakfast and tried to figure out the best way to approach the troubling situation with Angel and Evan. 

She knew Angel would probably choose to leave again for what he thought for her own benefit. Why couldn't he see that even just having him in town was better than never seeing him? Would Evan's existence make any difference at all this time around? 

She was still trying to think of a way to convince Angel to see things her way when Dawn bounced into the kitchen. "Hey, Buffy! Tara just told Willow and me what's going on. Isn't it great? So, are you and Angel going to get back together?" 

"No." Buffy crossed to the sink to rinse her plate. "He and Cordelia showed up for an entirely different reason." 

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about Cordelia being here." Dawn wrinkled her nose. "Don't blame that one on me. I wasn't messing around with magic or anything and I sure didn't wish her here." 

"I think it's safe to say none of us did," Buffy informed her sister as she jammed the plate into the dishwasher. "Cordelia had a vision about a demon, so you're off the hook." 

"Yeah, well, she always treated me like I was a baby," Dawn recalled. 

"I doubt she'll stay long," Buffy optimistically offered. "I can't picture Cordelia wanting to hang around Sunnydale when she could be in Los Angeles." 'Except that Angel's here,' a little voice in her head reminded her. Buffy tried to shake the thought away. True, she didn't like the Angel-possessive vibes she'd gotten from Cordelia the previous night but she might have misinterpreted the signals in all the confusion. 

As Buffy considered this possibility, Anya's voice drifted down the hall toward them. "Cordelia was talking about your tongue being in her throat in the janitor's closet. Why have we never done that? Because it was so wonderful for you and her that you're not interested in doing it with me?" 

Buffy and Dawn exchanged glances. It sounded like a fairly typical Xander/Anya discussion, jump-started by Cordelia's throwaway comment of the night before. Sure enough, a few seconds later Xander stepped into the kitchen carrying Evan. "Good morning and excuse us. Anya and I have to go out and find a janitor's closet to kiss in so she can be sure I love her. And here's Evan. He just woke up." 

"Thanks." Buffy nodded a goodbye to Xander and settled her son into his high chair. She was feeding him a spoonful of baby food when Cordelia walked in. 

"Good morning. Hi, Dawn. The last time I saw you, you were in--what grade? Fifth? Hey, Connor." She leaned toward Evan and began making baby talk. Evan obviously did not like it, as he instantly started wailing. Cordelia backed away. "I don't get it. Why does he cry every time I even look at him?" 

"Because he doesn't like you," Dawn blurted. 

"Dawn, that was rude," Buffy scolded halfheartedly as she distracted the baby with a fresh spoonful of food. 

Cordelia retreated to the corner chair. "Maybe I'd better stay away from him if I have that sort of effect. I can't understand why. He used to love being around me. So...." She cast about for a topic of discussion. "My visions don't usually come with a long tape delay. Why hasn't that demon attacked yet?" 

"Buffy!" Giles' voice came from the front of the house and saved her from having to make conversation with Cordelia. 

"Go on," Dawn encouraged her. "I'll finish feeding Evan." 

"Thanks." Buffy left the kitchen and headed to the living room, where Giles' call had sounded from. He and Angel were standing in front of the fireplace in deep discussion. 

As soon as he caught sight of her, Giles urged, "Sit down, please." He waited until Buffy and Angel were both ready, then proceeded. "Buffy, I've done some research and concluded that it is theoretically possible you conceived the baby while Angel was human for that day in 1999, yet Darla carried it to term in 2001. At least, it's no stranger a thought than the idea of two vampires conceiving a child together. Of course, considerable outside interference must have occurred, similar to when Angel was returned from hell. That event was never fully explained and it is possible the complete story behind Evan, or Connor, never will be either." 

"Well, The Powers That Be *have* been manipulating my life a lot lately. I wouldn't put this sort of interference past them," Angel offered. 

Buffy nodded. "I knew that was always a possibility. And it doesn't matter how Evan came to be. Nothing could make me love him any less." 

"I didn't think so." Giles cleared his throat. "To touch on another issue, I managed to identify the demon Cordelia saw in her vision. It's a rare type called a Gezora demon. They are very dangerous fighters and are usually found alone. They have extremely thick hides, squirt poison when wounded and have two tails. You should remain at a safe distance yet use a sharp weapon that can penetrate their skin, so swords are perhaps the most effective choice. Now if you will excuse me, Tara and I are going to engage in some research we hope may be of benefit to you." 

"Okay. Thanks, Giles," Buffy said as he left the room. 

She and Angel sat in awkward silence for a moment before he spoke. "I'm sorry you're so upset I turned out to be your baby's father. I mean, you obviously don't want me involved at all." 

"No," Buffy corrected, "It wasn't that I didn't want you to be his father. It's that I didn't want to get my hopes up." 

"You really weren't disappointed?" 

"Of course not. The subject of Evan's paternity has been bothering me ever since I learned he was mine. The fact that you're his father is actually a huge relief." 

"I guess Connor's going to be the subject of the day. We have some important decisions to make about his future," Angel said. 

"Exactly." Buffy nodded. "This situation isn't just about the two of us. We have a child to think about now and his needs come first." 

"I agree," Angel said. 

"I don't suppose you'll move back to Sunnydale," Buffy said hopefully. 

Angel looked pained. "You know I can't do that." 

Although she'd expected that answer, Buffy couldn't help feeling the sting of disappointment. "So what are we supposed to do? Share custody? Trade our son off on weekends and holidays?" 

"Or I could just disappear from your lives for your own good like I did when I went to Los Angeles in the first place," Angel suggested. 

"Oh, *that* was a big success," Buffy sarcastically cheered in response to the one comment she least wanted to hear. "My life went down the toilet at right about that point. Then things got so we stopped phoning each other or even communicating at all. You know, if we had kept in touch, I would have known about the day you were human and about Darla and about your having a son. Then this whole mess would never have even happened." 

"And I would have known about you and Spike," Angel fired back. "I wonder if you're keeping any other secrets about your new life?" 

Buffy sighed, the anger draining out of her. "The me and Spike thing would be the biggest. And you really can't understand the circumstances unless you've died and been dragged out of heaven." 

"Buffy, I'm sorry," Angel apologized. "I know this is hard for you. It is for both of us. Forgive me?" 

Buffy took his hand. "Of course I do." 

Cordelia watched from the doorway, seeing her dreams shattering right before her eyes. Whenever Buffy was in the room, no one else existed for Angel. It was just like being back in high school. Why couldn't he see that she was better for him than Buffy was? Cordelia braced herself and resolved not to give up so easily. All wasn't lost yet. She pasted a bright smile on her face and strode into the room, saying cheerily, "What are you two talking about so seriously?" 

Angel and Buffy jumped at the sound of her voice, their privacy shattered. "We're deciding what we should do about Connor," Angel explained. 

"Stay here," Buffy again suggested. "Be near your son and me. I never wanted you to leave in the first place." 

"You can't be with Buffy!" Cordelia protested. "Remember? Happiness clause? Mean Angel in leather pants?" 

"Cordelia has a point," Angel admitted. "No matter what I think we're always going to come back to this issue. If I'm perfectly happy, I lose my soul. I lose my soul, Angelus comes back. It's too risky and too much of a strain on both of us." 

"How do you know your soul isn't bound already?" Buffy asked desperately. "Maybe it happened after you came back from hell and you just never realized it. I mean, most people consider the birth of a child to be one of the happiest moments in their lives. So shouldn't you have lost your soul when Connor was born, if it ever was going to happen again?" 

Angel shook his head. "No, I don't think so. The circumstances surrounding his birth were so bizarre I didn't have a chance of feeling perfect happiness. And ever since then, I've been too busy dodging enemies and wondering where Connor was to feel a moment of peace. Even when I found him with you, I was too busy trying to figure out how it was even possible." 

"Don't decide yet," Buffy offered. "Spend a few days with me and Evan--Connor. Just a few. That can't do any harm, can it? Then see how you feel." 

Angel considered her suggestion and finally replied, "All right, I'll give it a few days. But I'm not promising anything." 

While his answer wasn't all Buffy had hoped for, it wasn't the worst thing Angel could have said and she held onto the possibility that he would decide to stay permanently. 

***** 

Throughout the next week, Giles and Tara continued their heavy duty research. Anya and Xander even pitched in on occasion but whenever Buffy or Angel offered to help they were instead sent off to spend time with their son, which they were only too happy to do. As for Cordelia, she said she didn't want to leave Sunnydale until Angel did. In the meantime, she got in touch with Wesley to let him know what had happened. He and the others were thrilled to hear that Connor had been found, confused by the circumstances, and anxious to see him again as soon as they had enough free time to come for a visit. They encouraged Angel and Cordelia to stay in Sunnydale as long as he wanted and sent their best wishes. 

Buffy couldn't help feeling jealous whenever she watched Cordelia interact with Angel. The proprietary air the other woman displayed, the inside jokes the two shared, and the obvious affection between them bothered her despite herself. Cordelia and Angel had bonded while in Los Angeles, and Buffy was envious. She'd been left to live without Angel while Cordelia had had him for three years. She had to wonder exactly what had gone on between the two in all that time, but she couldn't quite work up the nerve to ask. Despite that problem, she and the other woman were getting along all right. That was helped by the fact that they didn't spend much time together. They hadn't had a whole lot in common in high school and even though they still both fought evil, matters hadn't improved a great deal. 

After Angel had been in Sunnydale almost a week, Buffy began to get her hopes up about the possibility of him staying long term. He hadn't said anything one way or the other in all that time and she decided not to press the subject for fear of driving him away. He would soon see on his own that he was meant to be with her and their son. 

***** 

Connor was growing before his eyes and Angel drank in every second, acutely aware that every moment they spent together might well the last. Several times he found himself teetering on the verge of forgetting, of falling into perfect happiness as he dreamed he and Buffy and Connor were a real, normal family. Each time, he jerked back just in time to realize with horror how close he had come to ruining things for all of them. He kept vowing the next night would be the one he would leave, but so far he hadn't been able to tear himself away. 

That moment finally came one evening when he and Buffy were playing with Connor in the living room. They were alone, since Cordelia was out with an old friend, Anya and Xander had gone to a movie and the others were involved in various activities around the house. 

Up to then, Buffy had been alternating between calling the baby "Connor" and "Evan" and she finally brought up the subject to Angel. "We have to settle on what his name should be or he's going to grow up really confused. He was named Connor first. I think we should keep that and use Evan as his middle name. Connor Evan." Buffy tested the name out loud. "What do you think, Angel?" 

"I guess it's really your decision, Buffy." 

"No, it isn't. You should have equal say." Buffy looked at Angel but he refused to meet her eyes and that was when she realized what he was thinking. "Oh, no. You're trying to tell me you're leaving again, aren't you? You can't. You've been happy this past week. I know you have. We all have." 

"Buffy, that's the problem. I *have* been happy, and I can't risk that. This week has shown me how easy perfect happiness would be. I've come so close to slipping into it. It isn't safe for me to stay here any longer." 

"Your son is walking and talking. Do you want to miss all the other milestones that are coming up?" 

"You know I don't. But would you rather have him dead and be dead yourself? Because that's what will happen if I don't leave soon." Angel instantly felt guilty for his angry words when he saw Buffy flinch. He gentled his tone. "I'm sorry. That was too harsh. But you have to understand how I feel about what might happen. The danger of Angelus coming back is too high. I always have to have my guard up. I see the absolute joy you take in being with Connor and I envy you that because I can never feel it. It would be so easy to let myself go and I can't. I won't. I'm sorry, Buffy. I have to go back to Los Angeles tonight. I know Connor will be safe with you." 

"Is that good enough for you?" 

"It's going to have to be." 

Tears welled up in Buffy's eyes as she realized there was nothing she could say to change Angel's mind. She would have to watch him walk away from her again. 

They were interrupted by the sound of Xander's car roaring up in the driveway and his hurried entrance into the house with Anya. "You know that demon Cordelia saw in her vision?" Xander greeted them. "It just showed up." 

As Buffy and Angel collected an array of weapons, Xander reported the circumstances surrounding the demon sighting. They had been driving home and Anya had spotted the monster in a park. It was too big and powerful-looking for them to take on alone and unarmed, so they had decided to hurry home and get backup. 

"Angel and I can handle it," Buffy informed Anya and Xander as they headed toward the car. 

"One of us has to show you exactly where the demon is," Xander pointed out. "You'll save time." 

"Fine, Xander, you can come," Buffy relented. "But you have to stay back if possible and not get involved in the fight. I don't like the fact that you appeared in Cordelia's vision." 

The three loaded the weapons in Xander's car, jumped in and sped off in pursuit of the latest evil to turn up. Within minutes they reached the park and Xander directed them to the spot where Anya had seen the demon. It was no longer there but a trail of glowing slime provided ample evidence that it had recently been in that location. It also made it easy to track the creature. The three located the huge demon just as it was about to attack a group of children playing kickball. 

"Hey, ugly! Over here!" Buffy yelled. 

The startled Gezora demon turned to assess the threat, which gave the children a chance to run to safety. Buffy and Angel quickly fell back into their old pattern and worked as an efficient double team. One would distract the demon while the other attacked from the back or side. Despite their team work, though, the very tough Gezora held its own against them, moving with surprising grace and speed for such a large and unwieldy looking creature. 

Finally Xander unwittingly provided an end to the long battle. He had stayed out of the way during most of the fight but failed to move fast enough when the demon looked his way and the Gezora homed in on him as a threat. The demon snapped its teeth and lashed out with both tails, coming within inches of striking Xander in the face. As Xander scrambled back out of range, Angel saw an opening, leaped forward, and plunged his sword into the demon's torso. A burst of blue liquid spurted from the wound as the creature roared and fell to the ground to lie motionless. 

"Well, that was gross," Xander observed from a safe, dry distance. 

"The important thing is that it's dead," Angel replied. He glanced at Buffy. "Guess we have to bury this one, huh?" 

She nodded. "I hate it when they don't dissolve or turn to dust. I think they do it just to inconvenience me." 

They all took a few moments to rest before they set about the annoying task. Fortunately, it was far from the first time they'd have to bury an opponent so Buffy had had the foresight to load a few shovels into the car. Even then, considering the size of the demon it took even longer than the fight had lasted to dig a hole big enough to conceal the carcass. 

Almost sorry to be done, because the activities had at least delayed Angel's departure, Buffy dumped the last scoop of dirt on the grave and dropped her shovel. "Giles did say they usually travel alone, right? 'Cause I'd hate to run into another of these things anytime soon. They take forever to kill and forever to bury." 

They threw the tools and weapons back into Xander's car and drove home in almost total silence. Even though Xander didn't know Angel had told Buffy he was leaving, he seemed to sense something was wrong between the two and refrained from making one of his usual smart-mouthed comments. 

When they arrived back at the house, Angel turned to Buffy. "I'm going to go upstairs and pack. It won't take long. I only have my travel bag." 

He disappeared up the stairs and Xander looked at Buffy. "What was that all about? Angel's leaving? When did he decide that?" 

"I think from the very beginning." Buffy shook her head. "I'm sorry, Xander, I can't talk about this right now. Can you let us say goodbye alone?" 

"Yeah, sure." He squeezed her hand and left her in the living room. 

A couple of minutes later, Angel came downstairs with his packed bag. "I guess this is it. I'm all ready to leave. I guess Cordelia is still out. Maybe Xander can give her a ride home tomorrow." 

"Don't you want to say goodbye to Connor?" Buffy asked, hoping the sight of his son would make Angel rethink his decision. 

"No. I should just go now. You can tell him and the others what you think is best." 

Angel's hand was on the door knob when Anya, Tara, Willow, Giles, and Xander came hurrying in from the back of the house. "Angel, wait!" Tara called. "You can't leave now! I have wonderful news. Giles and I have been working all week and we finally put together a spell that should bind your soul." 

Angel shook his head. "We've tried this before. We never found anything suitable in the past." 

"That was then. This is now," Anya insisted. "We've looked harder, spent more time and tracked down very scarce ingredients. If there are ways to curse vampires with souls and also steal those souls back then there must be ways to bind them." 

"You know I approach involvement in the black arts with the utmost caution," Giles added. "But considering the circumstances, I believe the benefits outweigh the risks, which we have minimalized as much as possible." 

"You'll try it, won't you, Angel?" Buffy begged. "Please?" 

"I really, honestly think everything's fine," Tara offered. "We wouldn't even have mentioned the spell in the first place if we didn't believe we could pull it off." 

For long seconds Angel remained silent. Buffy held her breath in anticipation, while everyone else waited eagerly to hear his decision. Finally he nodded. "I'll try it." 

***** 

Giles reported that there was no compelling reason to delay so they could go ahead with the spell that night. Dawn volunteered to watch Connor in a separate room while the work took place. With that matter settled, Giles, Tara, Anya, and Xander carried the necessary materials down to the basement. Angel, Willow, and Buffy followed and observed the set up. Aside from Dawn and Connor, only Cordelia, who had not yet come home, was absent. 

Buffy studied the array of supplies. "So that's what you guys have been working on all week. No wonder we barely saw you some days." 

"Yeah, we have all sorts of stuff." Tara held up a black rock. "Like a Cimmerian crystal, a Sphere of Dagnom, a pinch of werebane, and even the tooth of a Froar demon. Spike got that one for us." 

"And Anya called in an old favor to get the sphere," Xander said. "The spell took tons of referencing and cross-referencing and following leads, but we think we got it all together." 

"I'm not involved in the magic end of this deal," Willow added as she sat down next to Buffy. "I'm just here for moral support." 

"We can use all of that we can get," Buffy assured her friend. 

"Angel, you hold this crystal and sit there." Giles handed him the item and pointed to the middle of the room. "Tara and I will be over here. Everyone else, stay behind us." 

They all took their places and the ceremony began. Tara handled the spell ingredients, while Giles recited a chant in a strange, flowing language no one else understood. For several seconds after he finished speaking, nothing happened. Then a golden light filled the room. It gradually lessened until it shone only around Angel, then it seemed to become absorbed by his body until it completely disappeared. 

"Is that it?" Anya loudly whispered. "Can we move now?" 

"I think so," Tara volunteered. "We did everything the instructions said." 

"Did it work?" Xander asked. "How do we know?" 

Giles looked at the vampire. "Angel? What do you think?" 

"I think...." Angel stopped and started again. "You all know I've been involved in things like this before--spells, curses, whatever. I remember how I felt when I was cursed the first time. It didn't just happen and I felt nothing, it was a physical sensation that was impossible to miss. Same thing when my soul left and Angelus came back. And again when Willow restored my soul to me. I felt something like that just now." 

"Which means?" Buffy pressed. 

"I'm sure it worked," Angel told everyone. 

Buffy threw her arms around him in a hug. "There's no way you can still want to leave after all that." 

Angel shook his head. "I think I'd be lynched if I did. Even Xander seems to want me to stay." 

Xander shrugged. "Well, I kind of got used to having you around. Don't get too excited. It's not like we're going to be best friends or anything. You know, you're almost like another piece of furniture around the place." 

"Thanks, all of you," Buffy told her friends. "We really appreciate everything you've done for us." 

"More than we can express," Angel added. 

"You know we were happy to do it," Giles reminded them. "And with this business taken care of, perhaps we can also finally have some peace for a little while." 

"I guess you guys will want a little time alone. We'll tell Dawn the good news," Willow volunteered as she and Tara started up the stairs after the others. 

Alone, Buffy turned to Angel. "I can't believe it's all over. Well, not everything and not forever, but this is a pretty big event for us. So you really are going to stay now?" 

"Yeah. I really am." 

"Thanks, I just needed to hear it one more time. Only...." Buffy paused. "I hate to bring the subject up now, but what about Cordelia?" 

"What about her? I guess she'll go back to L.A. Maybe get more heavily into acting again, or she can always work with Wesley and the others." 

"No, I mean you might not be romantically interested in*her*, but she definitely is in you," Buffy clarified. 

Angel looked her in the eye. "Cordelia and I are just friends. I know it might be hard for you to understand that we're even that much, but you haven't really spent any time with Cordelia since high school and you don't remember her in the best light. I've been around her pretty much every day for the past few years and she's grown as a person. She was genuinely concerned about me when the whole Connor situation came up. Okay, I have to admit sometimes her concern got on my nerves, but she meant well. And I did do things that led her on during an extended period while my brain was out to lunch. I'll be honest, I really can't blame Cordelia for getting the wrong idea about my feelings toward her. It's partly my fault." 

Buffy nodded. "Have you told her any of this?" 

"Not in so many words," Angel admitted. "But I promise, I'll talk to her again and make sure she understands once and for all that I consider her only a friend." 

"Okay, that's fair." Buffy took his hand and they went upstairs. 

Anya looked up as they exited the basement door into the kitchen. "That was quick. Cordelia is back and Xander just told her the news." 

Angel and Buffy exchanged glances. "Now's as good a time as any to talk to her," Angel decided. He and Buffy only had to check a few rooms on the ground floor of the house before they found Cordelia alone in the living room. 

"Hey, Cordy," Angel greeted her. 

Cordelia jumped. "Oh, you scared me! I was lost in thought." She smiled at him. "I heard what happened. I'm happy for you, really." 

"Yeah, I know. Thanks." Angel hesitated, then continued. "Cordelia, I've made some plans. I'm going to stay in Sunnydale with Buffy and Connor. You, Wesley, Fred, and Gunn should be able to run Angel Investigations without me. If you really need my help I'm just a phone call away. In fact, Buffy, Giles, and the others would be willing to pitch in too." 

"You're staying with Buffy," Cordelia repeated. "No. It isn't fair. I've been working with you for years and Buffy has barely spoken to you in all that time. It isn't right that you spend less than a week in town and not only is your son here, living with Buffy, but she turns out to be his mother, *and* your soul gets bound, *and* you reconcile with her. Why is it that Buffy ends up with everything and I have nothing? Angel, you're making the wrong choice. Face the facts: You've never really been able to be yourself with Buffy but you don't have that problem with me." 

Buffy opened her mouth, but Angel held up his hand. "No, Buffy, let me handle this." He turned to the other woman. "Cordelia, I do love you." Buffy frowned, while a hopeful smile tugged at the corners of Cordelia's mouth. Angel went on, "I love you like a sister." 

Cordelia's jaw dropped. "Sister!?" That word was the kiss of death to any potential relationship between her and Angel. Any time a guy viewed you as a sister, it was next to impossible to change the image that had affixed itself in his mind. "Okay, it's *so* not happening between us. Got it. You don't have to tell me twice. For your information, I didn't want it to anyway. I was just playing along because I thought you were in love with me and I didn't want to disappoint you so soon after you lost Connor. Because *you're* like a brother to me. If I had a 200-something year-old brother who's a mopey vampire!" She turned on her heel and stalked away. 

"Cordelia, wait!" Angel called, but she ignored him and stormed out of the house. 

"Think she was just a little upset?" Buffy observed. 

"But I didn't even get to finish," Angel protested. 

Buffy shrugged. "You can't please everyone all the time." 

And the truth was, they were too happy finally making plans for their future together to give Cordelia more than a passing thought. 

***** 

_Note: This could be considered the end. If you don't like Cordelia then you might want to read the very short epilogue I posted as "Chapter 4"; otherwise, just stop here. _

***** 

Challenge elements:   
(I didn't follow all of them to the letter but came pretty close.) 

1) Buffy doesn't know about Darla or that Connor exists. 

2) The representive tells Angel that they are taking Connor to his mother, saying that Darla was not Connor's mother but only the one to carry the child. Because he's half brain dead since he started sniffing after Cordelia, he doesn't even think about Buffy being Connor's mother (the child was created during IWRY). 

3) Angel dumping Cordelia, becoming his brooding self again, and going back to work on his redemption. 

4) The Representive taking the baby to Buffy and telling her that the baby is her child, so she takes the baby and gives him a new name. Buffy doesn't know that Angel fathered the baby, and the Representive doesn't tell her. 

5) Buffy dumping Spike because she's a mother now and she needs to focus on her family. She no longer needs Spike to make her feel something; she has the baby. 

6) Hank (her father) dies shortly after TPTB gives Connor to Buffy (let's just say that TPTB give him a little help crossing over) and she inherits his estate along with his life insurance policies, so she doesn't have to worry about money anymore. 

Optional: Buffy uses part of the money she inherits and buys the Crawford Mansion and she, the baby, Dawn, Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya, and Giles live there. 

1 to 2 years later 

7) Cordelia gets a vision that they have to go to Sunnydale (TPTB decide it's time to let Angel see his child). 

8) Angel meeting Buffy & her child and knowing instantly that it's his missing son. 

9) Angel & Buffy's child does not like Cordelia. 

10) Angel, Buffy, and their child becoming a family. 

11) Willow & Tara fixing the curse so that Buffy & Angel can be together. 

13) Giles came back from England after Buffy was given the child, and is the child's official grandpa. 


	4. The Epilogue

_Cordelia fans, don't say I didn't warn you. _

  
***** 

As for Cordelia's fate, later that night she made the mistake of wandering into Shady Hill Cemetery. "Buffy, Buffy, Buffy," she muttered. "What makes her so much better than me anyway?" Burning with humiliation, she walked on without checking her path and stumbled into Spike, who was practicing his blindfolded fighting techniques. 

"Ow! Bloody hell!" he screamed as Cordelia's graveyard-inappropriate stiletto heel jabbed into his foot. Instinctively, he lashed out and his fist connected with flesh with a satisfying *thunk*. Spike felt no pain, but his hapless victim emitted a pained cry. 'It's a demon and I can hurt it!' Spike thought gleefully as he repeatedly struck out at the unseen creature. He hadn't had this much fun in ages.... 

***** 

_I couldn't resist. ;) I knew they made that girl part demon for *some* reason. _


End file.
